This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to a connector assembly for interconnection to conductors of a flat circuit such as a flat flexible circuit. The invention is particularly applicable in a system for connecting a plurality of discrete electrical wires to the conductors of a flat circuit, wherein the conductors have varying widths.
A flat flexible circuit conventionally includes an elongated flat flexible dielectrical substrate having laterally spaced strips of conductors on one or both sides thereof. The conductors may be covered with a thin, flexible protective coating on one or both sides of the circuit. If protective layers are used, openings are formed therein to expose the underlying conductors at desired contact locations where the conductors are to engage the conductors of a complementary mating connecting device which may be a second flat flexible circuit, a printed circuit board or the discrete terminals of a mating connector which may be terminated to discrete electrical wires.
A wide variety of connectors have been designed over the years for terminating flat flexible circuits or for interconnecting flat flexible circuits with the conductors of complementary mating connecting devices. However, problems still are encountered with such connectors when the flat circuitry has conductor strips of varying widths for providing varying current characteristics on a single flat circuit. In other words, as stated above, the flat circuit has laterally spaced strips of conductors on an elongated flat dielectric substrate, but the conductors in many applications may not be of constant widths. For instance, in an automotive application, a single flat flexible circuit may have conductors of varying widths to provide varying current capacities for various functions throughout the automobile. A narrow conductor strip may simply carry sensor signals or logic signals, for example. A wide conductor strip may carry power to lights, power window motors or the like. Obviously, the conductor strips of the flat circuitry must be connected to different or varying conductors of a complementary mating connecting devices, such as discrete electrical wires of different sizes or gages. The present invention is directed to solving these problems and providing an extremely simple modular system or connector assembly for interconnection to different sized conductors of flat circuitry.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved connector assembly for interconnection to the conductors of a flat circuit, such as a flat flexible circuit, wherein the conductors are in a pattern of varying widths.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system for connecting a plurality of discrete electrical wires to the conductors of a flat circuit, the conductors again having varying widths in a pattern laterally of the flat circuit.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, a dielectric connector housing has a receptacle with an opening communicating the receptacle to the exterior of the housing. A plurality of terminal blocks of conductive material are positionable in the receptacle. The terminal blocks having varying sizes with corresponding varying planar surfaces exposed at the opening to the receptacle for engaging the conductors of the flat circuit. The blocks are arranged in the receptacle so that they present a pattern of varying sized planar surfaces matching the pattern of varying width conductors.
The invention is disclosed herein as particularly applicable for connecting a plurality of discrete electrical wires to the varying width conductors of the flat circuit. To that end, termination means are provided on the terminal blocks for terminating a plurality of electrical wires thereto. The termination means are provided by holes in the terminal blocks for insertion of the electrical wires thereinto. The holes in the terminal blocks are variably sized in direct proportion to the varying sizes of the terminal blocks. The terminal blocks are shown generally rectangular in cross-section and are fabricated of metal material. The blocks can be deformed to clamp the wires in the holes of the blocks. Retaining means are provided on the connector housing to hold the terminal blocks in the receptacle of the housing.
The invention contemplates that the terminal blocks can be mounted in the receptacle of the housing in a close side-by-side array. Therefore, a dielectric separator is provided between each adjacent pair of terminal blocks in the receptacle.
According to one aspect or embodiment of the invention, the dielectric separator is fixed to at least one of the terminal blocks in each adjacent pair thereof. The dielectric separator may be formed by a flat wafer fixed to a planar side surface of the at least one terminal block.
According to another aspect or embodiment of the invention, the dielectric separator is on the dielectric connector housing. Preferably, the separator comprises a wall molded integrally with the connector housing. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of the separator walls are disposed at regular intervals along the receptacle. The walls are severable from the housing to accommodate terminal blocks of varying sizes in varying arrays between the walls.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.